ARTICLES ABOUT SWAMI KRISHNANANDA

Arise! Awake!

by Miss Medha Sachdev

Swami Krishnanandaji has been my guide since the time of my birth.
That way I feel myself a blessed child of God. Since the year 1973,
when I was only two months old, I have been continually going to the
holy Ashram to have his Darshan every year with my parents.
To me, he is knowledge and divinity incarnate. When he speaks, the
words seem to be getting anchored in one's heart and soul. Inspired
by his teaching, this petty self is trying to say something.

Our Indian Heritage is very rich. The intuitive knowledge of the Rishis
of yore which was imparted orally from preceptor to pupil traditionally,
has come to us in the form of scriptures known as the Vedas and the
Upanishads. The highest knowledge of the 'Self' is given in these
scriptures, having known which, nothing remains unknown in the universe.
While on one hand, the Rishi conveys the Eternal Message that
the whole universe is pervaded by that Omnipresent God, on the other
hand, he directs the individual that by doing good deeds alone, he
should wish to live a hundred years of healthy life. This universe
is the shadow cast by the desires of each individual. By nature no
individual can sit without any 'action' even for a moment. By 'action'
we mean the expression of a desire, but the movement towards Truth
is not the effect of a desire because it is a desire to destroy desire
and such an action is not an action. It is the flaming march of the
soul towards its extension into infinity, so says Swamiji in his book,
'Essays on the Upanishads'.

But where are we? Do we ever sincerely practise Yoga to know our own
selves? Our consciousness is covered with the illusion of ignorance.
Everything in this world is transitory. Nothing is everlasting except
the Atman. Forgetting the Divine Messages of the scriptures we are
running after the ever-going attractions of this ephemeral world.
How beautifully an Upanishadic Sage prays to the Sun-God:

"The face of Truth is covered by a golden vessel. O Sun! Remove that
for me who am a seeker after Truth."

The philosophical and mystical teachings of the Upanishads are to
be studied and followed in their entirety. Arise, O Atman! Awake!
For how long will you sleep? Get up from slumber. Go and sit at the
holy feet of the men of wisdom and strive for Self-realisation following
their admonitions. That is the only path to happiness and attainment
of Eternal Peace.

It is the duty of a man to think about the problems of his society
and his nation. Even if a single person does some good to humanity,
the whole of humanity will follow him and worship him. This way, improves
the society. Come forward, youngsters! Do selfless service. Strengthen
the feeling of renunciation. Do not fret yourselves for fulfilling
petty desires. They will ruin you ultimately. Do not try to imitate
Western culture. It has already brought a great fall in our moral
values. Gird up your loins to bring back the lost values of the golden
heritage of India. Always keep in mind:

"You are not this body, not this mind,
Immortal Self you are!
Serve, Love, Give, Purify,
Meditate, Realise,
Be Good, Do Good,
Be Kind, Be Compassionate."
(So says Sivananda)

On this holy occasion of H.H. Swami Krishnananda's 75th Birth anniversary,
I pray to God for his healthy and long life so that he may keep on
illumining spiritual seekers after Truth.